Providence Medford Medical Center (PMMC) healthcare staff have reported a steep increase in workplace violence incidents to 54 in 2022. Workplace violence in PMMC for patient to employee encompasses physical holds, pushing, threats of violence, escalated behavior, and violent language. The nurses see the incidents brought on by such states as dementia, substance abuse, and emotional trauma. These reactions can be in response to long wait times, grief, or an acute stress reaction to a diagnosis. This project aims to address the Workplace Well-being and Safety Infrastructure. To get to the core of the challenges, we are seeking training that focuses on creating a blame-free culture.
To create this transformative culture, we propose Workplace Violence Prevention training. All participants will be included in the initial Nonviolent Communication training, which will be conducted in eight cohorts of approximately 30 from spring 2023 to the end of 2024. Upon completion of the initial 12-hour training, participants will utilize facilitated practice groups. As needs are identified by Nurse Leadership and Human Resources, the facilitator will provide Transformative Mediation sessions.
The training includes 250 patient-facing healthcare staff, including 50% of our total RNs, LPNs, and CNAs. Our target location is Providence Medford Medical Center (PMMC), which serves Southern Oregon and parts of Northern California. A large portion of the community is low-income, and Providence Health’s mission is to serve all who require our care.
Nurse Leadership and Human Resources will solicit surveys from both participants after each session and from patients to identify the impact on the hospital environment. Participant feedback will be requested after each workshop, practice session, and mediation session. Project leads may also coordinate with a local university to survey key participants throughout the project. The participating staff will have the same framework of understanding of workplace violence prevention, de-escalation techniques, and communication safety among nurse staff and patient-to-employee. We anticipate improved employee experience rates of 10% or point improvement in two categories: Belonging and Safety. The team anticipates long-term organizational impacts of improved intra-employee communication, less burnout, and employee developmental goals associated with the training.
